Another inconvenient truth occurred after the shampoo suds flowed into my open eyes. It was a stinging lesson to always close your eyes when you’re rinsing shampoo from your hair. The grin that formed on Tom’s lips prompted me to raise my middle finger at him. It was an automatic reaction and I stared at my finger as he broke out into a snorting laugh. I turned and rinsed my stinging eyes out before making sure no stray soap was still in my hair. When it squeaked between my fingers, I gathered it was clean.
Once I seemed to have cleaning my hair mastered, I took the bar of soap in my hands and ran it over my chest. The clean scent filled the steam-filled enclosure and I followed the silent instruction Tom had given me. When I was done and the soap returned to the dish, I just stood under the spray letting it pelt my back.
I sent a smile to Tom and he returned it before twirling his finger. I knew the gesture but I wasn’t sure what it meant. I tilted my head and scrunched my brow.
Wrap it up.
I pushed the knob and the water shut off. Tom handed me a towel and I proceeded to dry off with little instruction. I even wrapped the towel around my waist without help. We stepped back into the room.
“Cl...ean.” I said to the nurse.
“Did you brush your teeth?” She pointed to her teeth and I shook my head. She grabbed me by the elbow and led me back into the bathroom. A tube and a little brush sat on the counter and she picked it up, lining it with a dab from the tube and handed it to me. I pulled it to my mouth and followed the motions she was doing with her finger on her own teeth.
The minty taste filled my mouth, creating a pleasant tingle.
“Now spit in the sink and rinse the brush.”
I spit and tentatively reached for the controls on the faucet, when I successfully turned it on and did what she said, I replaced the brush where she picked it up.
She grabbed a towel and wiped my lips before swiping it across the steamy wall revealing her reflection along with Tom near the door and another man. It took me a moment to realize the blue eyes glued to the reflection were mine.
The nurse handed me another utensil and I studied the thin tool.
“It’s a comb. For your hair.” She took it from my hand and ran it gently over the top of her hair from brow to crown and I nodded taking it from her and doing the same until my hair was knot-free and slicked back. It wasn’t much longer than Tom’s and easy to manage.
“That’s good. Let’s see if we can find you something clean to wear, okay?”
I nodded and followed her into the room where Tom had already laid out a pair of underwear on the bed along with thin pants and a shirt. Studying the different articles of clothing, I figured out the correct way to put the underwear on along with the pants. I left the pull tie loose because after a couple of attempts, I didn’t get how it clasped together.
The shirt slid on over my shoulders with buttons on the front, but I left it open.
The nurse stepped forward, reaching to help and I stopped her.
“Not...co...old.”
“All right,” she said and led me back to the bed, helping me under crisp sheets.
I pointed to the bed. “Cl...ean?”
“Yes, I changed it while you were in the shower.” She picked up the I.V. line and reattached it. “There you go,” she said and patted my hand. “If you need to use the bathroom, this can roll with you now.” She showed me that I was no longer tied to the bed.
“Th...an...k you,” I said along with the proper hand gesture.
She left with a smile and I turned to Tom.
“Th...th...this st..stut...ter...ing sucks.”
He stared laughing and nodded. “Ya wo a mi.” Yeah, worse than mine.
I raised my eyebrows. “De...b...bate.” I inhaled forcing the rest out. “Able.”
He sat down and folded his hand over his fist, leaning it on his grinning lips.
Before I had a chance to formulate another response the door slammed open in a flurry of activity. The noise and chaos shocked fear into my blood and I pulled my knees closer to my chest in response, wrapping my hands around them and staring as a group of people poured in.
“Uncle CJ!” a little voice pierced the room and a small child broke free of her mother’s hand, her coat flying off and landing a few feet away as she jumped, grabbed onto the rail, and climbed onto the bed.
Paying no mind to my raised knees, she squeezed between my chest and legs and plunked down in my lap, clapping her hands with joyful glee.
I didn’t know whether to be horrified or humored by this, and I stared into the hauntingly dark eyes and smiled as her little hands cupped my cheeks.
“Grace, get off him,” the woman from whom she broke free said.
“Gr...race,” I said and she nodded emphatically. “I l...li...ke pic...ture,” I added pointing towards the wall.
She patted my cheeks and turned. “Mommy. Uncle CJ!”
I pulled my gaze away from the happy child on my lap and glanced at the group still piling in the door. Tom had joined a pretty red-head holding a little swing from her arm. It took a second, but the word car seat came to my mind. Behind the red head stood a man who looked a great deal like Tom and confusion clouded my mind.
The sudden chaos overwhelmed me and I didn’t know where to look. I recognized no one and my heart started the fast pump of an unfathomable fear. Even the little girl bouncing on my lap presented mental challenges that made the room spin.
Grace placed her hands on my cheeks again pulling my attention to her. There was no more smile gracing her lips, just a sad expression that further clouded my judgment and breathing got harder. Everything twisted into prisms and I blinked. My vision righted but small lines of heat rolled down my cheeks.
“It’s okay,” the child whispered.
“Guys!” the familiar voice cut through the noise.
My gaze snapped to Valerie standing in the doorway, a tray balanced on one hand and her other propped on her hip with an expression I wouldn’t want aimed at me. Her gaze met mine and locked there for a minute. The way they traveled down my chest and back up gave me that warm tingly feeling and I sent her the hand signal for Thank you.
“Guys, you’re overwhelming him,” she said stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She crossed and messed up Grace’s hair before setting the tray on the little table to my right. “I brought you something to eat,” she said before taking my hand and turning to the group. “Chris is awake but he’s suffering from regressive amnesia. He doesn’t remember a thing before waking up here.”
I opened my mouth to argue and she shot me a ‘shut up until I’m done’ glare. I closed my mouth, meeting Grace’s gaze. The smile was back, but it was tempered by my unease.
“That is also affecting his ability to speak,” she added and I nodded.
“Wo...ords h...ha...hard,” I added, scanning the six adults standing at the foot of my bed. I glanced at Tom and the woman with the red hair he had his arm around. His attention wasn’t on me, it was on the baby in her arms.
“Han...nah?”
Tom looked up and smiled, taking the baby from the red head and bringing her to me. My daughter, he thought and Grace moved to my side while Tom placed the baby in my arms. It was so small and wiggly. I shifted and found a comfortable hold and she settled down, making a little squeal before Tom put a small pacifier in her mouth.
“Beau...bu.” I closed my eyes. I knew what I wanted to say but it was too complex for my mouth to form.
“Beautiful,” Valerie whispered and I opened my eyes nodding meeting her gaze. “Chris, this is our family.” she gestured toward the now silent crowd.
“F...fam...il..ly?”
“Yeah, babe. Family.”
“Oh,” I replied and tried to remember. Even one memory would be a blessing, but it was a big black hole. I shifted the baby to my hands handing her back to Tom.
“Don’t force it, hon. It’ll come.”
What if it didn’t? What if I never remem
bered my past with these people?
I closed my eyes for a minute and the sensation of falling hit. I jerked on the bed, grabbing the edges. My eyes popped open and the panic came alive in my veins.
Valerie turned to the group. “I think maybe we should do this another day.”
I didn’t argue, dropping my gaze to my hands fidgeting with the edge of the blanket as Valerie ushered them out, exchanging hushed whispers about my condition. She stepped back in and crossed the distance taking a seat and pulling the tray closer.
“So...ory,” I whispered, feeling as small as Grace.
She reached under my chin, tilting my head so I’d meet her gaze. “Never apologize for being overwhelmed.”
“Wha..” I stopped and clenched my fists. “What if I nev..ver...”
She put the tips of her fingers on my lips stopping me. “It takes time.”
The mention of time got me thinking. “H..how...m...man...y hours,” I paused a moment and took a breath to force the rest of my question out. “i...is tw...two ye...years?”
She sighed and her lips moved as she silently calculated it for me. “17,520 hours. You’ve been in a coma for a little over twenty thousand hours.”
My brain couldn’t wrap around that now that I knew what an hour felt like. I covered my face, running my fingers into my hair trying to grasp it. Valerie stood and headed toward the door. I didn’t want her to leave and I glanced at the open door. It slammed closed. Something had leaped from my chest and the door closed.
I stared with my mouth open and Valerie turned, propping her hands on her waist and gave me a look that reduced me to shame.
“I wasn’t leaving. I was going to close the door.”
“Oh,” I studied my hands.
When she returned to my bedside, she pushed the tray aside and shooed me over on the mattress, taking a seat so she faced me. “The fact you survived was a miracle,” she started and stopped, her eyes dropped to the spot right in front of her.
It was my turn to lift her chin.
“Even my ability to heal took time to put you back together,” she said when our eyes met.
“Why d...on’t I re...mem...ber you here?” I asked and tapped my head. “Wh..hen I re...mem...ber you here.” I pointed to my heart. I didn’t really expect an answer, so when she started to speak, I moved, pulling her to me and crushing her lips against mine.
This time her lips parted and I followed her lead. Our tongues entwined in the most sensual kiss. Slow and lazy and breathless. She pulled away when my hand dropped to her breast, caressing her through the thin fabric.
“Someone could walk in,” she said.
I looked at the door and then the ceiling as I searched for the word I was looking for. “Lo...ock.” The word hiccupped from my lips, but was perfectly enunciated in my head and the click of the lock on the door engaging made me smile and I turned back to Valerie.
A smile gained traction on her lips.
I reached out and pulled the elastic out of her hair before running both of my hands through her dark satin locks. The silky feel of it caressed my hands. I traced her face, memorizing the lines, burning every sensation into my brain so if I ever lost my way again, I would know her anywhere. When my thumb ran over her lips she kissed it and met my gaze.
“Are you going to kiss me or what?” she whispered, her swirling eyes sparkled.
I licked my lips and curled my hand around the back of her neck, guiding her toward me. Sensations billowed over my skin, covering me with a need that drove my actions. The kiss I delivered started tentatively, stirring the molten lava in the center of my being. I moved from her lips to under her jaw, finding a spot that made her shiver.
Running my hands under the lab coat, I peeled it off, revealing a sleeveless v-neck shirt. I pulled her into my lap and turned, laying her against the pillow before continuing my exploration of her. Each layer I peeled off her brought more delights and she never interrupted my studies. My fingers memorized her curves and my tongue memorized her taste. Her spring-like musk tickled my nose and her soft purr recorded into my mind forever. She filled every one of my senses with awe.
Time meant nothing to me right now. All I wanted was this goddess.
I crawled back from my inspection of her finely painted toes with a hunger I couldn’t categorize. She smiled at me and guided my hand between her legs. I circled the wet folds with my fingers watching her mouth part and head tilt back when they ran over a certain spot. The effect her pleasure had on me was irresistible.
She widened her legs and I smiled, leaning over and covering the area she liked best with my mouth, circling my tongue over the flesh.
“Oh, God, Chris,” she said in a throaty sigh that coaxed me to continue the motion.
Her hand threaded into my hair, guiding me to the spot that quickened her breath. I slid my index finger inside her wet folds, slowly because I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing, but it all felt surreal and at the same time my senses were highly attuned to her.
“Faster,” she whispered and it took me a moment for the word to compute, but instead of honoring her request, I wasn’t ready to set aside the physical study of what drove her crazy. I smiled and purposely slowed down. Sucking her in a way that pulled a moan from her chest.
“That’s not faster,” she said, her eyes half-crazy with delight.
“I know,” I said, still rolling my tongue around her. The fact the words didn’t stutter wasn’t lost on either of us. My gaze dropped from her stormy eyes to her hard nipples and I left my post between her legs, kissing my way up her body, much to her chagrin.
I kept my hand between her legs, circling the spots my tongue had while I covered each nipple with my mouth, sucking gently, and she arched into me, pulling me closer to her bosom.
When I found her lips, she kissed me with a fervor that sucked the air out of my lungs and left me as breathless as she was.
“Make love to me,” she whispered when our lips parted.
“I am.”
She peeled my shirt off, nipping at my neck as her fingers fumbled with my pants and couldn’t quite reach to do anything more than shift the waist line. “Take your pants off,” she said.
I leaned back on my knees and pushed them down as she instructed and stared at my hard member. I glanced up at her, unsure whether to be alarmed or not. Valerie smiled and reached for me, her hand gentle and soft around my skin as she stroked.
I entered the next stage of heaven when she guided me inside her. I stretched out and she wrapped her legs around me, our hips moved in slow exquisite circles, my body entered sensory overload and I took her breast in my mouth, speeding up the sensations until I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest.
A wave started in my toes and rocketed up my legs, seizing every muscle and I groaned, burying my head into the crook of her neck. Spasms clenched me, making my body tremble all at once and then my muscles acted like I had been hit with a tranquilizer dart, slowly relaxing until all that was left was a trembling mass of flesh.
I lifted my head and met her gaze and she pulled me to her lips. I moved the necklace and pressed my ear to her chest. The drum of her heart made my eyelids droop.
“Chris?”
“Mmm,” I looked up at her.
“I need to get up,” she said and pointed to the bathroom.
I rolled off her and watched as she slid off the bed, gathering her clothing. She headed into the bathroom without looking at me and my euphoria faded. I pulled up my pants and tightened the strings, but again I couldn’t figure out what to do with them.
The toilet flushed but she didn’t come out right away and I wondered if I had done something wrong. Instead of waiting, I slid off the bed and grabbed the rolling I.V. bar. I rounded the corner and she stood leaning on the sink with her head down. Her shoulders shook.
“Val?” the shortened version rolled off my tongue easily and she stiffened. Her head rose enough for me to catch a glimpse of her tear staine
d face. “Di...id I do so...some...thi...ing wro...ng?”
She turned and shook her head. “You did everything right,” she said.
I closed the distance. “Th...then wha...at?” I wiped the tears with my thumbs, searching her eyes for answers.
She let out a laugh. “You unhinge me,”
“So...or...ry”
“Please don’t apologize for being perfect,” she said.
It was my turn to laugh. Perfect? I knew what that meant and she had to be the one with brain damage. I wasn’t perfect by any means. I couldn’t remember my family or even my full name and I couldn’t speak worth a damn.
“Christopher James Ryan.”
“Huh?”
“Your full name. Your family calls you CJ for short. I like your real name as opposed to the nickname. It’s softer, sweeter.” Her cheeks turned red and she sniffled and turned back to the sink, splashing water on her face and then patting it dry with the towel.
“I think you’ll be able to go home in a few days if you continue to do this well.”
When she turned towards me, I stepped closer, looking down into her eyes and pressed my palm to the warm flesh over her heart. “I am home.”
Chapter 25
I woke to a darkened room, disoriented. It took me a second to place where I was, and another to realize I was alone. Valerie was no longer in my arms like she had been when we fell asleep. I turned to the chair, expecting to see her curled on the cushion, but it was empty and my heart skipped and proceeded to pound in my throat.
Pressure pushed down on my chest and I glanced at the door. The lock wasn’t engaged and I slid out of bed, unsure of which direction to go. My body made the choice for me when the sudden urge to piss overshadowed my desire to find Valerie. I headed toward the bathroom and relieved myself like Valerie had instructed last night. Before starting my search, I brushed my teeth and ran the comb through my unruly hair, putting it in some semblance of order. My gaze dropped to the medallion and I ran my fingers over the black and red star, before meeting my own gaze. I studied my reflection, not finding any noticeable scar on my face or chest that would warrant dropping into the black for two years. With a shake of my head, I turned, collecting my pants off the floor and put them on before I ventured beyond the only environment I had a memory of.
Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1) Page 222